Courtesy: Rice Athletics
DALLAS – For the second time in her career Rice swimmer Hanna Huston was one of 14 Conference USA student-athletes to receive the league’s Air Force Reserve Winter Spirit of Service Award, C-USA Commissioner Judy MacLeod announced on Wednesday (April 10). The C-USA Spirit of Service Award recognizes the community service efforts of the league’s student-athletes, based upon significant public service, good academic standing and participation in their elected sport. The Spirit of Service Award will be presented three times throughout the season, with Wednesday’s honorees representing Conference USA’s winter sports: men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, and men’s and women’s indoor track and field.
Huston has immersed herself in the Houston community, actively volunteering for multiple organizations throughout her collegiate career. She garnered more than 200 hours of community service, including a mission trip to Guatemala with the school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The senior from Katy, Texas, maintained a 3.23 grade point average in kinesiology and health sciences, became a C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll member and two-time Rice Honor Athlete. She also serves as a youth mentor for children at nearby Kendrick Middle School and the One Love Foundation.
In the pool, Huston closed out her collegiate career as one of Rice’s best distance swimmers with the school’s Top 5 marks in both the 1,000- and 1,650-yard freestyle. She finished fourth in the mile at the 2019 Conference USA Championships and scored a total of 37 points at the league meet by reaching the event finals of both the 400-IM (sixth place) and 500-freestyle (eighth). Huston then scored 31 points at the National Invitational meet to help Rice finish second overall, highlighted by swimming the anchor leg of the Owls’ sprint relay team that finished second among a starting field of 31 entries.
This is the second time for Huston to earn the award. She was the also Spirit of Service recipient in 2017. The full list of the 2018-2019 Air Force Reserve C-USA Winter Spirit of Service Award Winners is below.
Taylor Parcells, Charlotte, Women’s Indoor Track & Field
Alexa Bryant, FIU, Women’s Swimming & Diving
Kelsey Witkay, Florida Atlantic, Women’s Swimming & Diving
Taylor Stahly, Louisiana Tech, Women’s Basketball
Kristen Mayo, Marshall, Women’s Basketball
Alex Johnson, Middle Tennessee, Women’s Basketball
Meaghan Rousset, North Texas, Women’s Swimming & Diving
Amanda Caruso, Old Dominion, Women’s Swimming & Diving
Hanna Huston, Rice, Women’s Swimming
Lina May, Southern Miss, Women’s Indoor Track & Field
Rachael Childress, UAB, Women’s Basketball
Katarina Zec, UTEP, Women’s Basketball
Tija Hawkins, UTSA, Women’s Basketball
Moustapha Diagne, WKU, Men’s Basketball
Proud as your coach and father! Servant Leadership becomes you.